Bag loading machine



J. D'ANGELO BAG LOAD ING MACHINE April 21, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25. 1967 R Y x; O h o \m E a o w w Qw 1 A 0 Id 2 m a M w 0.. a m \N r April 21, 1970 J. DANGELO BAG LOADING MACHINE 2 SheetsShee-t 2,

Filed Aug. 25. 1967 INVENTOR dkqz IZyEQ' ATTORN Y United States Patent vs. Cl. 53-74 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Machinery is disclosed for filling a series of long open ended bags aflixed or glued to a shingled strip with each bag overlying the open end of the next bag. For example, long, narrow bags receiving articles such as loaves of bread are positioned on a loading table where each bag is opened and the article is inserted thereinto from a conveyer line synchronized to present a new bag for each new article. A set of flanges "or grippers is inserted into the open mouth of the bag to hold it open and to guide thearticle thereinto. The grippers are moved relative: to the loading table and shingled strip to tear the bag away, from the strip. To assure jamproof operation of the machine, the bags are sensed and indexed synchronously in position as articles are presented for filling the bags.

This invention relates to machinery for filling bags, and more particularly, it relates to machinery for processing shingled bags indexed on a carrier strip with each bag overlying the open mouth of the next successive bag so that the bags will receive articles from a conveyor.

Gilbert H. Hannon has introduced the shingle bag concept in'U.S. Patent 3,161,347 and has proposed methods for filling those bags in U.S. Patent 3,331,182. However, these patents have not proposed machinery for loading shingled bags with articles indexed along a conveyor chute,'nor have proposed solutions for problems presented in making machinery operable, particularly when used with large or special articles and with flimsy bags such as made from thin polyethylene film.

There are today manytypes of equipment used for opening and assisting in the loading of stacks of bags either placed on wickets or tack sealed together. This equipment ranges from hand loading equipment, semiautomatic equipment to high speed fully automatic equipment. In order for any of this equipment to select only one bag at a time, it is necessary to have each bag equipped with an extended lip so that'the extended lip is held by the stack and overlaps each succeeding bag, thus the top side of the top bag on the stack has a free and uncovered side that may be opened by whatever means is used on this particular equipment. This invention makes it possible to utilize a series of flush cut bags suitably shingled on a backing materialwithout any wasted bag material used to. form the lip. Because the top bag of a series of shingled bags overlays and protects all succeeding bags, only one 'bag is presented to the loading equipment at a time largely eliminating jamming or wasting of bags.

Thus, it is a general object of this invention to provide machinery for loading shingled bags.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved means for loading heavy articles into long, thin bags of thin material. such as polyethylene.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatic indexing means for assuring that both bags and articles are in proper position for each loading cycle.

Indexing means is employed by this invention to advance the strip of shingled bags after each bag has been removed from the backing strip so as to present the next "ice bag'at approximately the same location with respect to the loading device. This indexing device may consist of a simple ratchet and feed roll of a pitch to correspond to that used on the shingled bag producing equipment. This ratchet device is driven by the bag loading mechanism and arranged so that it will 'be activated once for each cycle of the loading machine only provided the preceding bag has been loaded and removed from the backing strip.

A suitable mechanical drive in the indexing device either driven by the bag loading machine or a separate motor tends to continually index bags on a periodic cycle. The indexing ratchet is actuated for indexing only when a sensing switch, such as a microswitch or an electric eye senses an article coming into place for filling a bag, and provisions are made to assure that the top bag is moved into the proper position for loading in synchronism with the presentation of the article.

Further objects and features of advantage will be found in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which refers to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section, of an automatic bread loading machine incorporating the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the bag loading machine of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of the loading table assembly aiforded by the invention showing a loaded shingled bag in place before severing from the carrier strip,

FIGURE 4 is an end view, partly in section, of a set of flanges used in loading the bags,

FIGURE 5 is an end view in section of the loading table construction,

FIGURE 6 is an end view in section of a shingled bag on the carrier strip,

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the shingled bag carrier strip, and

FIGURE 8 is a sketch of an automatic indexing embodiment alforded by the invention to present each shingled bag in position to receive a single indexed article.

With reference to the bread loading machine illustrated in the various views, it may be seen that it is used to illustrate a general loading machine where articles, such as successive loaves of bread 10, are conveyed along article conveyer line 11 to be presented at a loading station. This conveyor line 11 may be part of a standard bread handling machine such as the standard model Mark 50 bread bagging machine manufactured by American Machine And Foundry Company, but this is only an illustrative machine described to permit those skilled in the art to reproduce the essential features of the present invention.

As the loaf of bread 10 passes sensing switch 12, the presence of each loaf is detected as it approaches a position 10 in line with loading table 14. A momentary pulse then actuates a clutch as shown in FIGURE 8 for engaging a bag indexing mechanism 13 to operate ratchet wheel 31 once and index a bag into loading position. The switch 12 additionally pneumatically. operates air jet 16 to blow open the mouth of the bag; Upon this loading table 14 a shingled bag carrier strip 15 is indexed about roller 26 to present each successive top bag at the loading position near the programmed pneumatic jet 16 which opens the mouth of the unloaded top bag 17 until gripper flanges 18, 19 are inserted. The jet 16, which may be controlled by a pneumatic valve relay, is turned oif by detector switch sensor 23 operable to sense the expanded position of flange 18 (as shown in FIGURE 3), since the bag 17 is then frictionally held open by the spread jaws of flanges 18 and 19.

A cycle is started with detector switch 12 which in-' dexes the carrier strip 15 the distance between bags affixed thereon, and which operates the jet 16 to hold the bag mouth open long enough to move thereinto by means of plunger 27 linearly moving on shaft 21 the top and bottom flanges 18 and 19, which are spread apart (as shown in phantom in FIGURE 3) after insertion into the bag by pivot arm 20 and associated mechanism to frictionally grip the open mouth of the bag from its inside as shown in FIGURE 3. The bag is thus gripped preferably before the end of the linear stroke so that further movement tears the bag from the carrier strip 15 before a return stroke in which the loaf of bread is inserted into the bag. This cleanly separates the bag 17 from the strip 15 by pulling against roller 26 and avoids any tearing of the bag or malformation of the strip' 15 or succeeding bags thereon. A loaf of bread 10' is indexed at the open end of the bag and is inserted into the bag between the flanges as it is held open. This may be done either by moving pusher rod 22 toward the open mouth of the bag 17, or by withdrawing the flanges 18, 19 over the loaf of bread 10 ,to envelop it. In this case, the pusher rod 22 would remain at rest at the position shown in FIGURE 2.

After the bag is torn oil? the strip 15, the flanges 18, 19 while still frictionally gripping the mouth of the bag 10 are retracted along shaft 21 to slide the bag across loading table 14 and its extension on loading station 11. The table 14 serves as a rest to simplify handling of the bag and to prevent damage to the bag or its carrier strip because the weight of the bread would not be supported by the force of the adhesive on the carrier strip or the thin portion of the bag affixed thereto.

In order to prevent either the bags from straying in position or the long loaf of bread 10 from twisting upon entry into the bag if pushed upon the table 14, a movable flange 30 is provided to serve as one of two edge guides between which the bags are conveyed.

In bag loading machinery of this type the mechanism can be jammed by improper presentation of either articles or bags. Thus, if a loaf of bread is not present but a bag is presented, then the flanges may not be properly removed from a bag and they could not properly enter the next bag. Also, if the bag is mis-indexed enough, the flanges will not properly grip the open end and may not be able to move a filled bag across the table. Accordingly, it is important to provide indexing means to synchronize both bags and articles at the loading station.

- The mechanism of FIGURE 8 shows a very simple embodiment for assurance of proper indexing. Basically rocking arm 40 is coupled to a cyclic source (not shown) as available from a cam or wheel in the conveyor machine or even from a separate continuous motor which reciprocates as shown by arrow 41. This reciprocation is the power stroke operating ratchet dog 42 to index ratchet wheel 31 and indexing drum 26. Each momentary closure of article detecting switch 12 then operates solenoid 43 and opens valve 44 in air line 45. This operates air piston 46 to drop the interposer cam lever 47 which normally by means of spring 48 holds ratchet dog 42 dis: engaged from ratchet wheel 31, so that no indexing takes place. Thus, air piston 46 draws ratchet dog 42 into contact with the wheel for a stroke cycle of the rocking arm 40. By gearing of rocker arm 40 for operation by the article conveyor the article detecting switch 12 is operated synchronously at a time of one cyclic operating stroke of rocket arm 40 as the bread is presented on the conveyor belt 50.

A further sensing switch 51 is placed to assure that a bag is in place on the carrier strip 15 on table 14 at loading position. This switch is opened when a bag is in place,=so that when a bag is missing it is closed to operate the indexing mechanism to index' the carrier strip past any position where a bag may be missing.

Having therefore described" in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is evident that the state of the art is advanced by provision of novel machinery for filling bags. Accordingly, those features of novelty believed descriptive'of the natureand spirit ,of the invention are defined with particularity in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Machinery for loading with articles such as loaves of bread a seriesof open ended bags afiixed to a shingled strip with each bag overlying the open end of the next bag, comprising in combination, means presenting articles at a loading .station in sequence, means intermiti tently indexing said strip to present individual top bags on the shingled strip at the loading station, =means opening the top bag for'inserting a product into the bag at the loading station, and means responsive to a presented article to index a single top bag on saidstrip into position at the loading station including, a loading table-poshv tioned at said loading station to support the length of the bag, and means inserting the product in the bag as it rests on said table. 1 v. v v v 2. Machinery as defined in claim l, wherein the means presenting articles is an article conveyor line registering of a bag indexed at the loading table'to hold the bag open, and wherein the means inserting the product includes means entering thearticlef into the bagbetween said flanges as it holds the bag open. I

5. Machinery as defined in claim 1, including means frictionally holding the open end of the. bag open, and

means linearly moving the latter means along thelength of said strip to remove the bag from said strip. 4

6; Machinery as defined in claim 5, wherein said means holding the bag open comprise means loading the I bag and including mechanical. flanges insertedintoth open end of said bag before loading to spread and grip the bag material frictionally. andhold it open and wherein said means linearly moving the loaded bag comprises said mechanical flanges gripping the bag. I v 1 I 7. Machinery for loading articles into open ended bags aflixed in shingled fashion on a carrier strip with each bag overlying the open end of the next bag, comprising in combination, meansv opening ,the bags, spreadaible mechanical means inserted into the opened bag and holding the bags open when spread, a loading table for supporting a bag along its length, and means presenting said carrier strip to index each top bag on said table, and means loading the bags while held open by said mechanical means as they rest on said table.

8. Machinery as defined in claim 7, including a carrier strip indexing mechanism, and means operating the indexing mechanism to index one bag at a time in response to presence of an article in position for loading the bag.

References Cited UNITED, STATES PATENTS 2,667,997 2/1954. Vogt 53-187 x 2,671,587 3/1954 Vogt 53187X 2.671.588 3/1954 Vogt 53187 X 3,358,414 12/1967 Hersh 61; a1. 53-131 X 3,405,504 10/1968 US. Cl. X.R. 53-187, 385 

